Local sport

Umdloti canoe ace Lovemore wins two more World Cup medals in Germany

The 25-year-old delivered a standout performance in Saturday's Olympic-distance 1000m final.

Umdloti canoe sprint star Hamish Lovemore continued his impressive international form by securing two more medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup in Germany last weekend.

The South African paddler claimed silver in the K1 1000m and bronze in the K1 5000m in Brandenburg, bringing his tally to three World Cup medals across two consecutive weekends in Europe.

Third-placed Hamish Lovemore (left) on the podium with winner Balint Kopasz from Hungary (centre) and third-placed Australian Thomas Green after the K1 1 000m race.

Racing in icy conditions far removed from the KZN climate, the 25-year-old delivered a standout performance in Saturday’s Olympic-distance 1000m final. After finishing ninth in the same event last week in Szeged, Hungary, he showed marked tactical improvement and composure in Brandenburg.

Lovemore remained in contention throughout the race and led the field at the 750m mark before narrowly being edged out by Hungary’s Balint Kopasz. Australia’s Thomas Green finished third.

ALSO READ: Umdloti paddler Hamish Lovemore claims bronze at Canoe Sprint World Cup

He carried that momentum into Sunday’s 5000m race, powering to bronze in a highly competitive field. Denmark’s Mads Pedersen claimed gold, while Portugal’s Fernando Pimenta took silver.

The result mirrored Lovemore’s bronze medal in the same event the previous weekend, underlining his consistency across distances. He finished 11 seconds behind Pimenta.

Hamish Lovemore on his way to silver during the K1 1 000m final on Saturday.

“I’m so happy, it’s the best way to end the trip,” said Lovemore.

“The conditions were really difficult coming from South Africa, especially the cold.”

With three medals in two weeks, the North Coast athlete has made a strong early-season statement as he builds towards qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.


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Kaylan Geekie

Kaylan has been with The North Coast Courier since 2024 after spending more than a decade as a sports journalist in the United Kingdom. He graduated with First-Class Honours in Sports Journalism from the University of West Scotland and went on to work as the digital editor for Super XV, digital content editor for SCRUM magazine and as a Cricket Scotland correspondent before returning home to South Africa.
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